Farm-Scape, Episode 2021

Canada Pork International predicts the volume of Canadian pork exports will increase again in 2006 but fears the value of those exports will slip.

Figures for the first ten months of 2005 indicate, for the first time ever, Canadian pork exports will top the one million tonne mark reaching a value of about 2.8 billion dollars.

Canada Pork International Assistant Executive Director Martin Lavoie says a combination of factors, including the pending loss of the Romanian market which accounted for about 50 million dollars worth of product last year, will make it difficult to maintain the same levels of return.

"Romania, after the US, Japan, and Australia, is the market where Canada sells with the best dollar per kilo ratio.

Unfortunately they are scheduling to make the transition to EU import requirements as of June 30, 2006 so this is going to be a big hit for our exports.

In terms of value, they're bigger than Russia to give you a proportion.

We have the US, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Korea, China and then it's Romania and the value is very close to what we are exporting to China.

In comparison we are exporting 20 thousand tonnes of pork to Romania versus almost 38 thousand tonnes to China."

Lavoie says production is increasing and another volume record is likely in 2006 but the key question is whether the value will keep pace.

He says the extra pork will be sold on the export market but not necessarily into markets that pay as much as Romania.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.